Creating a Social Media Advertising Campaign
An Honors Thesis (HONR 499)
by
Sara Bobo
Thesis Advisor Michael Hanley
Ball State University MlIDcie, Indiana
April 2014
Expected Date of Graduation May 2014 :;;,rLO I Under (a d -rh eS / 5 LD OJ L.) g-/ , Z. L-j Abstract ,;2.0)~ , (3 ~ Social Media is widely used making it an effective way for companies to reach their target. Kohl's targets women 18-29 year old. This target has a high percentage of mobile social media users. They most frequently visit Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. A break down ofthese media provides a variety oftips for reaching the target effectively. Pinterest and Instagram should be used for strong visuals and Twitter can be used to start a conversation with the target. Facebook has autoplay video advertising. LinkedIn is for professionals and can be narrowly targeted. The cost structure of each medi urn and how a company can measure the ads success also influences how a company advertises on social media.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my advisor Professor Michael Hanley for letting me work at my own pace and giving me guidance when needed.
I would also like to thank my parents for setting such great examples when it comes to hard work and dedication. Social Media did not exist 20 years ago but now it's one ofthe largest and fastest growing industries. Originally only accessible through computers, today social media is largely viewed on mobile devices including tablets and sn1art phones. Many brands are using these social platforms to not only reach their target markets but to start a conversation and foster a relationship. The ultimate goal is to build brand awareness and encourage brand loyalty.
Consumers, especially millennials, view the lack of a strong social media presence as a weakness when it comes to choosing a brand. Because they most frequently access social media through a mobile device, brands must be careful to make content that is compatible with a mobile format.
You cannot choose what social media are the best for your brand without identifying your target audience. For instance, Kohl's target audience is women 18-29 years old. Kohl's would want to use Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedln to reach its audience. (The app logo for each mediun1 is pictured below in Figure 1.) These websites are all social media but using the same advertising on them all may not be affective. Pinterest and Instagram are driven by visuals while Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn put an emphasis on updates. The objective ofthis paper is to outline the different advertising models for each of these five social sites and describe how these media can be used for a social media campaign using Kohl's as the subject of the ads.
Figure 1: App logos for the five social media Twitter
Twitter has one of the simplest advertising models. To get started go to ads.twitter.com and sign in with your twitter account or create a new one. Then choose a budget and what ad
1 type your company would like to purchase. There are three basic ad types: promoted tweets, sponsored trending topics and promoted accounts.
Promoted tweets are linlited to 140 characters and placed in a feed. It is targeted based on age, gender or keywords being searched on the site. The pricing of ads on Twitter is very simple and is a system that is used by other social media as well. Advertisers will choose a target, budget and ad type. Then, they will place a bid based on the amount they are willing to pay per new follower or click. Vindu Goel, a writer for the New York Times, explains the systenl in his article For Twitter, Key to Revenue is No Longer Ad Simplicity (2013): "Advertisers pay only when someone interacts with an ad, such as by retweeting it to their followers, commenting on it or marking it as a favorite. That typically happens only 1 to 3 percent ofthe time. To get that rate on the higher side, Twitter's system does not just automatically award an ad slot to the highest bidder; instead, it gives an advantage to ads that previous viewers have found to be more relevant or engaging." Bidders also do not pay the full amount oftheir bids. Instead, they will not pay more than one cent above the next lowest bidder allowing them to get the most out of their budget.
Another ad type is to sponsor a trending topic. Twitter has a list ofthe top 10 subjects being posted about on the site. For a fee of $200,000 a company can have a sponsored trending topic for 24 hours. It is made clear to the viewer that the trend is sponsored with the word promoted put beside the trend. When the trending topic is clicked on the user is shown all the tweets that nlention the topic and a tweet fronl the sponsor is displayed at the top. Hashtags (#) are often used to promote trends.
The last way to advertise on Twitter is paying to be on users' suggested accounts to follow list. This ad is geared toward gaining Twitter followers. Like promoted tweets, it works
2 on a bidding structure and is targeted to users who are most likely to follow you. When you gain more follows it doesn't just spread your content. A high amount of followers will also make your account look more reputable.
These advertising choices are a great way to reach your target but just having an advertisement on twitter is not enough. The ad needs to call the user to action either by clicking on it, retweeting, favoriting, commenting or following the account. In her blog post Tweet tips:
Most effective calls to action on Twitter (2013) Jennifer Romanek, a finance and revenue analysis at Twitter, outlines the four most effective calls to action strategies a brand can utilize.
She writes, "The quality of your content - how interesting, conversational and useful it is ultimately determines how engaged your followers will be." She explains that users will be more enticed to click on a tweet if there is a linle To keep the focus on the link, a company should not include or at least keep at a minimum hashtags and @handles. Romanek writes how these links increase a tweets click through rate. "Promoted Tweets in timelines that explicitly ask people to download accompanied by a link increase URL clicks by an average of 130/0. Promoted Tweets in search that feature this call to action also increase clicks by an average of 110/0."
The second way to increase call to action is ask for a retweet. By asking followers to retweet the tweet a company is turning them into an ambassador. When users retweets a tweet it means that all of their followers will see that tweet. Asking for a retweet is a completely free way to boost the reach beyond the brands own followers. It also helps spread promoted tweets.
"Promoted Tweets in timelines with an ask to retweet increased retweets by an average of 3110/0.
An ask to retweet in pronloted tweets in search increased retweets on average by 3170/0"
(Romanek 2013). Requests to retweet work best when they are at the beginning of the tweet and
3 when the retweet is spelled out instead of abbreviated to RT. There also needs to be an incentive to retweet. This could be a contest, a sweepstake entry or a follow back.
Another strategy is to ask for users to follow the brands account. Companies can use their twitter account to answer consunlers' questions, provide teclmical help, build awareness of a new product or feature and get feed back from customers. "Promoted Tweets in time lines that asked for a follow increased follows by an average of258%. Follows increased by an average of 86% when the same call to action was included in Promoted Tweets in search" (Romanek 2013). Like with retweets, it needs to be made clear to the user why they should become a follower. The tweet could offer the user a first look at products or a chance to enter future contests.
The last strategy outlined by Romanek is to ask for replies. Twitter is a great way for companies to connect with consumers and start a conversation. Ask for opinions or suggestions for new products and give an incentive to reply such as a coupon toward their next purchase.
"Promoted Tweets in timelines that highlight an ask to reply increased replies by an average of
334%. Replies increased on average by 307% when this call to action appeared in Promoted
Tweets in search" (Romanek 2013). It is also a free way to hear from your customers instead of conducting costly focus groups and surveys.
Another helpful tip is to write tweets in a conversational way so that the account doesn't seem to be run by a robot or computer. Followers want to know that the conlpany cares enough about them to have a real person response to them and give them useful information. It is also important to keep the account interesting by varying the tweets. Try to touch on things important to the target. It doesn't have to be about the company and its products all the time. You can comment on current events or tweet about a trending topic. Using Twitter correctly makes consumers aware ofthe company and builds brand loyalty.
4 It is important for the brand to also have a strong twitter account because the ads will be connected to the account. An active account can persuade the audience to follow them and become more involved with the brand. Having a verified account on Twitter is important for a brand so users know the account is actually run by the company and not a fan. Verified accounts have a blue badge shaped like a circular Figure 2: Kohl's verified Twitter cloud with a white check nlark in the nliddle that is displayed next to account the accounts name. Kohl's verified status is shown in Figure 2. Verified account holders also have access to account analytics, including data and characteristics about Tweet engagement and followers. If Twitter decides the account should be verified, either because there are multiple parody accounts that could confuse users or it is the official account of a widely known person or company, they will send a direct message to the account that provides a link to the verification process. The process consists ofthree steps. First, Twitter will present sample tweets and ask which one is most effective. It is not a pass or fail but a way for Twitter to demonstrate the types oftweets they want to be posted. Next, Twitter will display other verified accounts they recommend following because it makes your account look more trustworthy if you follow other verified accounts. Finally, they want a real phone number they can call incase something goes wrong with the account. For example, if it looks like the account has been hacked they will get in touch via the provided number. After you are done with these three steps your account will be verified and you will see the badge on your page.
As with any form of advertising it is extremely inlportant to be able to measure ads on social media so companies know what they are getting with their purchases. Twitter provides a real time analysis of replies, impressions, clicks, retweets, and follows. It utilizes a timeline of activity that outlines what's happening with the ads. A followers dashboard is also available to
5 give insights into the account's followers' geography, interests and engagement level. This is a free way to research who is interested in the company and how to better reach them in other ways such as on traditional media and with promotional events. From this information a company can also see which ads are performing well and which they should not continue. It can then change its bids or ad content to better reach the target.
Another social media used to reach wonlen ages 18-29 is Pinterest. Pinterest allows users to share pins with their followers and create boards to categorize their pins such as a board called
'Wedding' where they pin wedding themed pins. Users have the option of following all ofa user's boards or just selected ones. When someone pins something onto a board they follow it will show up on the user's stream. The stream appears as a grid of pins on mobile devices just like on desktops. Pins are seen as images and include a description section users can fill out.
When a user clicks on a pin it enlarges and has the option for the user to pin it them selves, like the pin or view other pins on that board. By clicking on the enlarged image, the user is directed to the site that the image was originally pinned from. This feature makes Pinterest a great way for brands to drive audiences to their web sites or apps.
Pinterest started testing its advertising model in October 2013 and has made advertising available for select companies such as the F our Seasons hotel chain and the online retailer
Wayfair. Ads on Pinterest come in the form of promoted pins. Like promoted tweets on Twitter, promoted pins appear on users' streams or in search results and are clearly labeled as promoted.
Marketingland.com reported that "the ads have been tested on both the web and Pinterest's mobile apps in search results and category feeds" (Marvin 2014). The cost system of these ads is based on cost-per-thousand (CPM) or cost-per-click (CPC). Companies also have the free
6 options of adding prices to product pins. Customers can sign up for price-drop alerts, which will send them an email when the price is lowered on a product they have previously pinned.
Pinterest has some guidelines for businesses using Pinterest. Businesses can read these guidelines on the downloadable PDF titled Pinterestfor business found on business.pinterst.con1 under "get the how to guide". The helpful tips provided include having a business's profile picture that is recognizable and well known. This is usually a logo or mascot. Make various boards so that users have a higher chance of finding one that interests them. Also have enough pins on the board to hold their interest and keep updating. Detailed descriptions will help convince users to take notice and aid in searches. You can choose a pin to be the cover image of your board; so, pick something that is relevant to the board name and will aid users in identifying the purpose of the board. Try to pin once a day to stay on your followers' feeds and only pin multiple pins at once if they are reliant on each other. Too many pins will annoy the users and it might create an unfavorable opinion of your brand. Follow and pin other users to connect with your audience while adding variety to your boards. It is important to show your audience the best quality pictures possible is follow Pinterest's advice on photo sizing: "Images that are at least 600 pixels wide will look best on Pinterest. Keep in mind that only images that are at least
100 x 200 (or 200 x 100) pixels are pinnable" (Pinterest for Business). Brands can add 'pin it' buttons to their websites. For example, Kohl's could have pin it buttons next to clothing items so
Pinterest users could pin more easily and the merchandise would be spread on the site increasing brand awareness and traffic to Kohl's website. This is called organic reach. It is user generated and cost nothing. To increase the amount of people who repin your pins or follow your boards put a link to your Pinterest page on your website or other social media channels.
Contests are a popular promotional tool on Pinterest as well. To have a successful
7 contest, give clear and simple instructions. Pinterest suggests rewarding quality over quantity.
Give prizes to the best pins and not the people who pin the most. Don't run a sweepstakes where each pin, board, like or follow represents an entry. It is important to keep in mind that the Free
Trade Comnlission (FTC) regulates contests. A recent FTC case has made it important to format contests in a certain way so they are not seen as deceptive advertising. Cole Haan, a fashion label, held a promotional event called the "Wandering Sole Pinterest Contest." Participants had a chance to win a $1,000 Cole Haan gift card when they created their own "My Wandering Sole" boards and re-pinned five of their favorite images of Cole Haan shoes. In their closing letter dated March 20,2014, the FTC stated that the boards "were endorsements of the Cole Haan products, and the fact that the pins were incentivized by the opportunity to win a $1,000 shopping spree would not reasonably be expected by customers who saw the pins." Because the pins did not state that they were part of a contest, the FTC saw it as deceptive. The average user who came across the pins would not know it was part of a marketing ploy. The FTC did not take legal action against Cole Haan because the issue of endorsed pins had not been address before and Cole Haan changed their social media policy after the incident. It serves as a cautionary tale for other companies holding contests on all social media not just Kohl's Pinterest.
Like with Twitter, brands should get their Pinterest pages verified. To verify a page the brand must click on the pencil icon located at the bottom right comer of the name box on their page. An edit profile box will be displayed. Go down to the website field and type in the official brand website. Select verify website. Then follow the Figure 3: Kohl's verified account as it appears in a search on Pinterest. instructions. When completed, a check mark will be displayed on the
8 brand's page and pins, as seen for Kohl's account in Figure 3.
Being verified also gives the account user access to analytics. To view the analytics ofthe account you just click the analytics link, which is located on the drop down menu under your nanle at the top right comer ofyour account page. "Pinterest Analytics shows you which pins are most popular with pinners and which ones are driving the most traffic to your site. You can also see what boards your stuff appears on, how the pins are described and what people pin along with your stuff. All of these insights will help you make smarter choices about your merchandising, product development and pinning strategy" (Pinterest for Business).
Pinterest Analytics is split up into 4 tabs: site metrics, most recent, most repinned and most clicked. The site metrics tab displays four line graphs: Pins/pinners, repins/repinners, inlpressions/reach, and clicks/visitors. Each shows two lines. The blue line represents the amount ofthe actions taken (pins, repins, etc.). The orange line is the amount of people who have done the action (pinners, repinners, etc. ). You can change the time frame for each graph by going to the calendar drop down menu on the top left side ofthe page and changing the calendar or choosing quick select (7 days, 14 days or 30 days). The question marks by the line headings give tips about using the graph. The numbers on each graph indicate the total amount ofactions or people and the small percentages above those nmnbers is the amount of change within the selected timeframe. The most recent, most repinned and most clicked tabs will show what users are pinning that fit these categories. Clicking on a pin will enlarge it and show the boards they pinned them to, the descriptions they gave the pins, who originally pinned the pin and what other things they pinned to the same boards. Like with the metrics, you can change the time period by going to the calendar drop down nlenu in the top left comer and changing the calendar or by quick selecting yesterday, 7 days or 14 days. You are also given the option of exporting the
9 infonnation provided by selecting export, which is located at the top right side ofthe page next to the most clicked tab.
All ofthis infonnation is outlined at business. pinterest.comianalytics. Based on this infonnation a company can see what their target is interested in, decide how they can market to them and which pins they should share on their own account. A company may find out the group they are targeting is not the group that is repinning the most and can either change their ads to try and reach the original target or find a new group of people to nlarket to. It also helps thenl choose how to format their promoted pins by seeing which types of pins have been repinned and clicked on the most in the past.
Instagram is a photo and, more recently added, video-sharing app owned by F acebook.
Advertisements are new on Instagram and, like Pinterest, not yet available to all businesses.
Instagram offers sponsored posts. A sponsored post is identifiable by a sponsored label on the top right ofthe post, which looks like a white up arrow surrounded by blue. The sponsored posts are only available for photos but sponsored videos are likely to be introduced in the future.
Instagram lets its users, called Instagrammers, give feedback on whether the ad was relevant to them or not. By clicking on the three dots ( ... ) on the bottom right comer of the ad
Instagrammers can hide the sponsored photo. Instagram saves this data to provide ads that interest the Instagrammer. Instagram ads do not use Instagrammers' photos. The sponsors must instead provide their own advertisements. Instagram targets ads based on who the Instagrammer follows and the posts they like. It also looks at their Facebook infonnation because Facebook is
Instagram's parent company. Instagram states on their blog that their "aim is to make any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already
10 enjoy from your favorite brands." Current brands advertising on Instagram include Levi's,
Macy's and Ben & Jerry's. One factor about Instagram ads that is more favorable than ads on other social media is the fact that one full photo fits on the mobile screen at a time so it is harder for Instagran1mers to gloss over it.
When it comes to reaching Instagrammers, hashtagging is a great way for brands to get their posts to appear in tags they may be searching. If an Instagrammer searches a certain tag such as #sundress and a brand includes that hashtag in their post the Instagrammer will see it on the tag's page. Hashtags can include numbers but not special characters ($, &, etc.) and a post cannot have more than 30 tags. It will not post if it exceeds this limit. Hashtags should be specific to target the right audience. Being specific also increases the chance that your post will not be lost in the crowd. #Photo is a generic tag and would have hundreds ofthousands of generic images competing for attention. You can use other posts in a tag for inspiration when it comes to choosing which hashtags will help you reach your audience.
A post on Instagram's blog "Tools and Tips to Help Marketers Inspire and Engage on
Instagram" from March 2014 lists tips for brands using Instagram to reach their target audience.
The blog states, "When it comes to brands and businesses, our goal is to help companies reach their respective audiences through captivating imagery in a rich, visual environment." The first tip is to stay true to your brand voice. Your brand should have a personality: fun, social, sophisticated, etc. and it should come across in your posts. Share the experiences that customers have with your products. For example, Kohl's could post a photo ofa woman on her first day of college wearing her Candies dress, a brand sold exclusively at Kohl's. Post pictures that make
Instagrammers want to take action such as creating a hashtag where they can post similar photos.
Use the interests ofyour audience in your posts. Ifthey are athletic show your product being
11 used while biking. Show behind the scene photos from your headquarters or stores. Put a twist on an expected or generic photo by changing the angle or adding a filter. These small changes help capture and hold the targets attention.
Like with other social n1edia, contests can be held on Instagram to interact with your audience and gain favorable impressions. Ask your users to post photos of them using your product or doing other actives that relate to your brand. Have the winner be showcased on your facebook, website or other social media or giveaway free merchandise or a discount. The reward is up to the brand but be careful and make sure the contest is fair and not considered deceptive advertising. Choose the winner by looking at the entries on the tag's feed or choose at random.
You can see what people are tagging about your brand or product by searching for that tag with your account or look at it on a desktop by going to http://instagr.am/tags/[hashtag name]/feed/recent.rss (where [hashtag name] is the name of the hashtag without the #). Looking at the tag is a good way to see what people are saying about your brand and identifying your strengths and weaknesses.
Because advertising on Instagram is not yet open to all companies, the cost structure is not yet finalized but it will be based on cost per thousand. Campaigns on Instagram will not just be basing success off of like, new followers and comments. Saya Weissman, a writer for
Digiday.com reports that "the social platform's focus is more on traditional metrics that brands actually care about, like frequency distributions, changes in brand recall, awareness and association, and eventually longer-term sentiment metrics and sales impact over time" (2013).
Instagram has been polling Instagrammers who were exposed to the ads and those who were not to see what effect the advertisements have on brand association and ad recall.
12 Instagram is looking to companies who already use Instagram effectively to test their advertising format. They provided the results on campaigns run by Levi's and Ben & Jerry's on their blog. Levi's campaign took place over a nine day period in November 2013 and was targeted to Instagranuners 18-34 years old in the United States. Instagram members only saw two ads on average and never saw the same execution. Levi's reached 7.4 million people with their campaign and 24% of those who viewed multiple Levi's ads remembered seeing a Levi's ad, which was nearly three times more than the control group. The blog quotes Julie Channing,
Director of Digital at Levi's as saying, "Not only were we able to reach a large audience with our ads on Instagram, but the metrics clearly show we engaged with
••••• A'A' • '00 ) ~ _ . them in a memorable and authentic way. We're pleased with 1rl~ta~'l£U\\ C these results."
Ben & Jerry's Instagram campaign proved equally successful. Over an eight-day period in November 2013, they had four sponsored images: ice cream in a carton (seen in Figure
4), in a cone and as a vision in the clouds. Instagram users saw ads from Ben & Jerry's only three times on average and each execution appeared on their Instagram feed only once. Ben &
Jerry's goal was to increase awareness of their brand and new i\ -¢- C!l a tD flavor of ice cream, Scotchy Scotch Scotch. The campaign - -- Figure 4: Ben & Jerry's Instagram ad for their flavor reached 9.8 million users and saw a 33% increase in ad recall. Scotchy Scotch Scotch
Awareness of the new flavor also increased 17% an10ng the target, 18-35 year old Instagram users.
13 Although Instagram is still in the testing stage ofadvertising their tests so far look promising. Instagram may soon make advertising available for all businesses. If image ads prove successful, advertising is sure to expand to videos on Instagram as well.
Facebook has been around longer than the other four social media and has had longer to work on its advertising model. The advertising fonnats on Facebook's mobile app are sponsored posts, sponsored stories and mobile app ads. Sponsored posts and stories can come in many forms and brands should pick which type to use based on the goals of their campaign. Posts can be image driven to build awareness of a product or brand. Videos can show the product, behind the scenes or TV spots to infonn and engage the target. In 2013, Facebook enabled autoplay on their website and nl0bile app. Videos uploaded on Facebook now automatically start to play on mute when a user is scrolling down their feed. If a video is posted using Y outube or another video sharing site it will not have autoplay. By tapping on the Facebook uploaded video in the app it will enlarge and be unmuted. By having autoplay Facebook is capturing the attention of users and keeping them on Facebook longer because clicking on a link for a non-Facebook hosted video takes them away from the app. Ads can be used to pose a question to the target and gain more insight into the audience's attitudes toward the brand. Offers will drive your target to take action and become involved with the brand or specific product. Facebook ads are a great way to drive the target to your website by providing a link. They can also be used to spread the word about an upcoming event or product launch. Be sure to keep your sponsored posts relevant to your brand. Use rich images and videos that highlight the product and focus on what your target wants to share with their friends to increase reach.
14 Sponsored stories are more connected to your target and can be used as part ofthe advertising. With sponsored stories, the brand boosts the visibility oftimes when a person's friend has liked your page, or one ofyours posts. They can display an ad when one of the target's friends completes an offer and recommend they complete it too. This helps capture the targets attention because 18-29 year olds are highly influenced by recommendations from their friends.
Promote to fans and friends offans to get higher engagement and broader exposure. Bid as high as you can per click or impression in feeds to increase how often your post appears and avoid promoting the same story to the same audience in mUltiple ads or campaigns.
Unlike sponsored posts and stories, mobile app ads are only available through
Facebook's mobile app. These ads come in two forn1s: suggested apps to download and reminders ofthe apps the user has already downloaded. F acebook expanded the mobile ads with the reminders in Oct 2013. The company explained the new ad structure on its Facebookfor
Business blog writing, "Businesses can now choose from seven different calls to action within mobile app ads. These include universal actions like 'Open Link' or 'Use App,' along with more vertical-specific calls to action: 'Shop Now,' 'Play Game,' 'Book Now,' 'Listen Now,' or
'Watch Video. '" These ads are targeted to users who have not recently visited the advertiser's apps. The main goal is to increase return visits to the advertiser's app but it can also be used to navigate the Facebook user to a certain part ofthe advertiser's app such as a new product announcement or a contest page.
Facebook helps brands target their ads by identifying the brands' audiences by location, demographics, likes and keywords they have posted on their profile. You can also target ads to only users who have downloaded your app or liked your F acebook page. Figure 5 shows a
15 sponsored story that was targeted by a user's friend liking the page. The last nan1e of the friend has been whited out for this paper.
To promote a story or post on Facebook you will need S l h,' I Photo Q eh k in to use Ads Create Flow. To use Ads Create Flow simply go to
"create an ad" located under "pages" on the left side of your S 1111 .un I Mobil , USA homepage. Choose what kind of results you want from the ad FI L I THE 8 II, 0 on m phOn . such as page post engagement or clicks to website. Scrolling Lik P.I over each option will give a brief description. Next, type in the Figure 5: Samsung Mobile USA Sponsored Story page you wish to advertise from or submit the website you wish to promote. Then pick the post you want to promote by going to the "Your Ad" drop down menu. Pick a target audience and budget to start running your ad. You can also sponsor stories by going to the "Sponsored Stories" section under the "Your Ad" section and choosing the type of story you'd like to sponsor.
When it comes to cost, Facebook has multiple ways of charging for advertising. Each form is based on bids for the ad space or target reached. One form is cost per thousand. Every time the ad is viewed the advertiser pays. This is based on impressions. Cost per click charges the advertiser every time a Facebook user clicks or taps on an ad. This allows the advertiser to know that the target interacted with the ad. Optimized CPM is a more in depth way of charging.
Unlike CPM, optimized CPM is based on the company's goals for their campaign. The bids are high when the users reached will help you reach your goal and bidding is lower when the users are less likely to contribute to your goal. These goals can include actions taken by users, the reach of the ad, and the click through rate. The last form is cost per action (CPA). It is more effective than CPM and CPC because the consumer is not only interacting with the ad but also
16 committing to future interactions. An example of a CPA would be when, because of the ad, a user likes the brand's page, installs the brand's app, or signs up for an offer. The advertising brand can tell how successful a Facebook ad campaign is by looking at the amount of likes, comments, clicks and actions the users have contributed. It is available by downloading Power
Editor through Facebook. Analyzing this data will help you plan future successful campaigns on
Facebook.
Linkedln
LinkedIn is different than other social nledia because it is a professional business networking site. Companies should only invest in ads ifthey have a service or product that is geared toward business or business people. The majority of ads on LinkedIn are business to business but they aren't the only ones. Ads can be specifically targeted to the job title, job function, industry, geography, age, gender, company name, company size, or LinkedIn Group you want to reach. Kohl's could use age and gender to reach women 18-29 years old who are starting new jobs and need new professional clothing. To get started you must have a LinkedIn account and create an ad or sponsor an update. Next, choose your target audience and set your budget and maximum bid amounts. After your ad is submitted LinkedIn's support team will approve it and the ad will become active usually within 24 hours.
LinkedIn announced a new mobile ad option, Sponsored InMail, in March 2014.
Linkedln explained the reason for the few option in their blog written post Linkedln Expands
Mobile Advertising Offerings written by Lindsey Edwards. "With more than half ofLinkedln
Inbox page views currently happening on mobile devices, this creates an unprecedented opportunity for advertisers to reach Linkedln members where they engage the most." A company can send a personalized letter to the user's inbox. The letter can include videos and
17 images. A user will only receive one Sponsored InMail every 60 days.
• -:; J~'flM _ It is a way to give the target a more descriptive and informative view of . , In r the product or service that isn't possible when using other advertising forms.
LinkedIn also offers sponsored updates. These updates appear in
- , . ....\. the user's feed on their mobile device. Figure 6 is a screen shot of a .' . sponsored update for Salesforce.com. First, you need to set up a Salesforce1 - Salesforce.com company page. Then, you must create an advertising account. Go to Figure 6: Sponsored Update by Salesforce.com LinkedIn Ads, click 'get started' and then create a business account. On your company's page click on the gray sponsor update button and choose a campaign to add it to.
Campaigns are created on your LinkedIn Ads page. You can have one or multiple campaigns happening at once. There you set the budget and time period you want the campaign ads to run.
Each ad can have a different time and budget.
Your LinkedIn Ads account is organized by campaigns. Each campaign you create has its own daily budget, targeting options, and ads. You should create at least 3 ad variations within a campaign but the maximum number ofads that can be in a campaign is 15. Creating multiple ads helps you discover which ads should be altered so they perform better. LinkedIn explains how a campaign works on their pamter.LinkedIn.com website. "Initially, all ofthe ads that you create will be displayed to your selected target audience. As you start receiving clicks, the ad that performs the best as measured by Click Through Rate will be shown more often and receive more clicks. Note that you can also set your campaign to rotate ad variations more evenly."
The costs ofadvertisements on LinkedIn are based on cost per thousand or cost per click.
The choice ofcost structure is up to the company who is advertising. According to L inkedIn,
18 most people choose CPC, which means that you pay when someone clicks on your ad. For this payment method you specify a bid for the maximum amount you're willing to pay for each click.
The mininlum bid per click is $2. LinkedIn will provide a suggested bid based on what companies with similar ads and targets are bidding. LinkedIn then posts the ads with the winning bids. When a company reaches their daily budget their ads will stop being posted. A credit card is required to pay for the advertisements. Your credit card will be charged on a periodic basis but you will never be billed in advance. The frequency that you are charged depends on your daily budget and the accumulation ofthose charges, which may vary day to day . You may see charges on your credit card on a daily or weekly basis. There is also a one-time $5 activation fee for setting up a LinkedIn Ads account. At any time, you can log into the LinkedIn Ads Dashboard to turn off or turn on your campaigns. You can also set a canlpaign end date and your ad campaigns will stop on that date.
LinkedIn makes it easy to measure the amount of clicks your ad receives. Use the My Ad
Campaigns tab and Reporting tab in LinkedIn Ads to view your click through rates and track how that affects your budget decisions. Ifyou want to gain incite into the leads, inquiries, or sales that resulted from the clicks that you receive, you need to track users' actions on your website and how they were effected by your LinkedIn ad. This is possible with the help of a website analytics tool such as Google analytics. You can find out what actions people took after they entered your website through the ads link.
Creating a Campaign
Although you can have ads on one social medium and not have them be a part ofan across media campaign, it is more efficient to reach your target on multiple platforms using the
19 same message or creative strategy. Because the target uses multiple social media on a daily basis, a brand should have a presence on each medium as well.
Kohl's has a large client base of women 18-29 years old. These women are social, fashionable and trying to establish themselves in their chosen careers. They are also the largest group of mobile social media users. These are the reasons why I chose Kohl's as the example company for creating ads. You could advertise Kohl's as a company, focus on a product or showcase an exclusive clothing brand they sell. I chose to create advertisements for Kohl's that inform the target that it is an affordable and convenient place to buy professional business clothing. With brands such as Candies, Joe B and Apt 9, Kohl's has a large variety of brands to fit the target's various professional needs from interviews to the average business day to important meetings or presentations. The tagline for Kohl's is currently "Find Your Yes". When it comes to a social media campaign including the tagline helps continuity between the ads and platforms. It also adds a connection to any other ads being run on traditional media.
For a promoted tweet on Twitter Kohl's could tweet: 'Look confident, feel confident and rock that interview with business wear from @Kohls #FindYourYes". Having the @ handle for
Kohl's will n1ake it easy for users to visit Kohl's account and reiterates that the promoted tweet is for Kohl's. An example for a promoted tweet that will incite action from the target could be:
"Show us your perfect business outfit from Kohl's. Post your photos with #FindYourYes and we'll retweet our favorites." The user is being asked to post photos of them wearing Kohl's clothing they have purchased. This means that all that person's followers will see the picture and be exposed to the brand.
Because Pinterest is visuals heavy it gives companies the benefit ofshowcasing their products. Pinterest helps Kohl's display their many professional clothing options. Figure 7 is an
20 example of a promoted pin for Kohl's. It is a picture oftwo women dressed in outfits from business casual to boardroom professional. They are wearing Kohl's brands and look confident and ready for the task at hand. The description for the ad reads: 'Fronl interviews to career changing presentations, Kohl's gives you the confidence you need to succeed. #FindY ourY es'. The pin will also link to a special business section ofthe kohl's app where the target can browse available clothing and see prices.
Instagram also allows Kohl's to connect with their audience Figure 7: A sample promoted pin for Kohl's through pictures. For an Instagram sponsored post Kohl's could tell
Instagrammers to post photos ofthem wearing Kohl's professional clothing while they find their yes whether it is a yes to an interview or yes to a promotion. The sponsored post would explain that the Instagrammers should include #FindYourYes and #Kohls so everyone can browse through what others are posting. This too is a great way for users to be exposed to the brand through other users.
One ofFacebook's advantages is its autoplay and Kohl's should utilize it by making a promoted post in video form. The video would show various women shopping at Kohl's. As they show each other the outfits the dressing room mirror behind them changes to show the situation that the outfit is for such as a meeting or an interview. The women look happy and confident throughout. The video ends on the Kohl's logo and the tagline 'Find Your Yes'.
LinkedIn can be targeted to women entering the job force. By targeting women with new jobs the advertisement can be more specific. For example, "Congratulations on the new job. Now
21 it's time for a new wardrobe. Kohl's has all the pieces you need to impress your coworkers and climb that ladder. Visit Kohls.com and Find Your Yes."
All of these ads use a conversational and fun tone to connect with the audience. This is to show Kohl's as a friendly company and not just someone trying to make a sale. They tell the target they can be successful and they deserve to look the part. Social media should be a conversation started and the more the ads follow the formats of organic content the less they will disturb the target's media experience. Mainly, they shouldn't feel like they are being forced to look at an ad.
Being informed about how to use advertising on social media will help your company stay at the top of mind of the target. You will interact with them and foster brand loyalty and repeat purchases. A successful social media campaign can be contained or compliment a traditional media campaign such as using the same tagline or theme. The target uses multiple social media on a daily basis so it is important to have campaigns that span the media they are using and to connect with them on mobile where they are viewing it. Understanding how mobile ads are made and bought will lead to a better business and a better relationship with your target.
22 Reference Page
"About LinkedIn Ads." Frequently Asked Questions.
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